iPhone Location Tracking Lawsuit Has Been Dismissed

Back in 2011 a team of British security researchers discovered that iOS on iPhone, iPad and iPod touch was building a record of the device’s location history, Wi-Fi network and cell tower location data to be precise, data which would allow the device to track itself faster than a GPS alone could. The data was also being copied over the computer if the device was connected to it. This obviously caused a lot of security concerns, though the late Steve Jobs denied at that time that Apple was not deliberately collecting location information, rather the company attributed the behaviour to a bug which was fixed through a firmware update. A class action lawsuit was eventually filed against Apple which has now been dismissed.

The plaintiffs argued that iOS had allegedly been designed to transmit iOS devices’ location to third-party app developers without the approval or consent of the users, and that this transmission of location data harmed the device’s performance by taking up storage space and reducing battery life. Plaintiffs also argued that location information would be collected anyway even if users turned off Location Services in the Settings app, Apple said this was due to a bug and fixed it through iOS 4.3.3. Judge Lucy Koh ruled that the plaintiffs “failed to show that there is a genuine issue of material fact” which is why the court has concluded that there is no standing to pursue the claims against Apple.